The Very Best Thing About Fandom

Despite the occasional drama and backbiting, this is a good place to be. We get awesome stuff to read for free. We get to share our shit with hundreds of fantastic readers who give us feedback and help us improve. We meet the most amazing people that we might never have had a chance to meet.

For me, the people are by far the best thing about fandom. I wouldn’t be here without the support and love and encouragement I’ve received from so many of you. I got dragged into fandom when I was happily writing original fiction, and I stayed. It’ll be two years soon O.o

I could list hundreds of people I’ve met since I’ve been here who have influenced me in some way—but that would be epic. All for avoiding the epic, me ;) There is ultimately a very small group of fandom people that are most important to me, who keep me here, or keep me writing, or who I can trust to understand me when no one else in the world does.

tjbaby was one of the girls who dragged me into fanfiction, and I wasn’t exactly kicking and screaming. She’s a big part of the reason I’m here. Thank you, darling! She’s also the only one of this bunch that I’ve met in real life (cos she’s the only one who doesn’t live on the opposite side of the world).

Kerry Freeman keeps trying to drag me OUT of fandom ;) I met her here though, so she belongs in my favourite fandom people post. Kerry takes the blame for getting me addicted to Junjo Romantica and fountain pens. She’s going to be the one I cling to when I finally get my shit together and finish those three original novels and attempt to get them published. We NaNo’d together last year, and while my NaNovel languishes unloved on my hard drive, hers is being published by Loose Id very soon.

Serendipity and I bonded over Antinous and deviance. I can tell that girl anything and she won’t squick. She had me reading shit I never thought I’d read. She’s my reality check, my honest to god tell me if it sucks girl, my brainstorm buddy with a wealth of crazy ideas. She’s embarking on a whole new adventure now, but she still pops in from time to time, and one day we’ll write that fic together that will blow everyone away because it’ll be that epic. I’m looking forward to it :D

Dellaterra is my beta. I only have one. She comments my shit out the wazoo, and I like it. She’s cheerleader, inspiration, and hard-ass editor all in one. In addition to being an amazing beta, her writing is impeccable. That’s why I trust her with mine. You need to read her latest slash fic, My Version of Heaven. It’s AH, it’s E/J, and it’s real. Do it now, and leave her a review.

Finally, my sweet, my heart, my venis-envy. She’s Draco to my Harry. We are the OTP. We go beyond fic-wives and fandom friends. She’s crossed over to the HP fandom and writes the most wonderful HPDM fics now and sometimes it hits me that I was there the first time she wrote twislash, and I just go O.o She is brilliant, and beautiful, and sweet, and filthy, and I love her. I love her random email subject lines and her Fucker Droid. I love her blankie tents and her not-Niki-safe tweets. I love her rants and the way she listens to mine. I love that she loves me, paranoia, snark, passive aggressiveness, tall poppy syndrome and all. No words can really convey how much she means to me. One day, chick. The blue kool aid *nods* When we check out, we check out together (before you all freak, we have a fandom-flounce-pact).

You know I love you back, right? *hug* YOUR stories are what convinced me to begin writing slash in the first place, and I will owe you forever for that. And I wasn’t kidding: as soon as I win the lottery (or sell a book for a million dollar advance) I’m sending you a plane ticket to come here for a visit.

I don’t even know how to respond to this, except to say that I hope you know you’re all of those things to me, too. I don’t care how much of this planet separates us, I’ll find you one day and give you a really ginormous, awkward hug (& probably cry into your hair a bit) O.o
I love you all the way to Kool-aid and beyond.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! I’ll never forget the thrill I felt the first time you favorited something I’d written, and then tweeted about it. And I’m still so grateful for your kind response to my first awkward fangirly PMs, when I yearned to be the Seth to your Edward. (Thank you for not blocking me!) Thank you for trusting me with your words, and for your generous support of mine too. *mwah*

You’re such a womble (if you don’t know what that is or what it means in the vamp parlance, ask @sapphirescribe, she’ll tell you).

Honestly, love, I thank my stars that I lucked into getting you as a beta. You’re perfect for my OCD. I know that if I have to stop lest I overedit, that you WILL pick up what I miss. It allows me to relax just that tiny little bit that I need to save my sanity ;)

And your words are simply beautiful. Perfect. Always unique. There’s always something there that surprises me, and ultimately, that’s why I like to read :D

The people are both the best (and unfortunately at times, the worst) about the fandom. But mostly, they’re simply the very bestest, awesomest folks :-) Stop squiggling at me, computer, those are too proper words ;-)

Warning

I'm an opinionated tart, I read and write slash (m/m) fanfiction, and I'm kind of a deviant, so if you're under 18 or you are uncomfortable with any of that sort of carry-on, you should probably click that back button.